The Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup was a knockout football tournament open to teams from in and around

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and later on in the tournament's history, teams from outwith Glasgow. Invitations were made and sent out by the Glasgow Charity Cup Committee (GCCC) at their discretion, but no criteria were ever published. Like many domestic competitions in

Scottish football Association football ( sco, fitbaa, gd, ball-coise) is one of the national sports of Scotland and the most popular sport in the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Sc ...

, it was dominated by the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

of Rangers and Celtic, with 31 and 28 victories each respectively. In the latter years of the tournament, it ceased being a knockout tournament and became a one-off contest between a Glasgow Select and a team invited from the English League.

Clubs

The early years of the tournament featured teams from outside

. The committee often invited teams based on name and popularity.THE GLASGOW CHARITY CUP
''

Dundee Courier ''The Courier'' (known as ''The Courier & Advertiser'' between 1926 and 2012) is a newspaper published by DC Thomson in Dundee, Scotland. As of 2013, it is printed in six regional editions: Dundee, Angus & The Mearns, Fife, West Fife, Perths ...

'' 25 March 1888. Retrieved 9 September 2021. (via) British Newspaper Archive. Half of the eight-team draw for the 1887–88 tournament included Hibernian,

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, Renton, and

Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ' ...

. All four clubs were former

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,

Charity

After Renton were presented with the trophy by the

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. Elected by the city councillors, the Lord Provost serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. The office is equiv ...

in 1886, it was revealed a total of £5620 had been raised for local charities since the tournament had been instituted (equivalent to almost £750,000 in 2021 rates). An academic study in 2008 calculated that during its 90-year existence the competition raised funds to the value of £11 million.'Remembering us year after year’: the Glasgow Charity Cup 1876-1966
Wray Vamplew,

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

, 2008 A portion of the proceeds from 1887–88 went

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and

Dumbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Per ...

charities, as teams from these areas competed for the cup too.

Finals

Performance by club

Notes

References

External links

Full results
at Scottish Football Historical Archive
Celtic Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1917)
FitbaStats
Clyde Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1918)
FitbaStats
Dumbarton Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1885)
FitbaStats
Partick Thistle Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1917)
FitbaStats

QPFC.com
Rangers Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1918)
FitbaStats
Third Lanark Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1917)
FitbaStats
Vale of Leven Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup results (til 1888)
FitbaStats {{Defunct football competitions in Scotland Defunct football cup competitions in Scotland Football in Glasgow Recurring sporting events established in 1877 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1966 1877 establishments in Scotland 1966 disestablishments in Scotland Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom Charity events in the United Kingdom Charity football matches